The Scots: A Photohistory

“An informative and engrossing work for anyone interested in the northern isle.” ―Publishers Weekly

In the decades following the invention of photography, Scotland became enamored of the new art. Over the next century, Scottish photographers captured a stunning visual record of their land, its people, and their mixed fortunes, hopes, and aspirations. Their achievements document a century of profound contrasts, of division, and of upheaval and change.

Here are the triumphs of a self-confident Scotland, with the completion of the Forth Bridge and the stream of vessels down the Clyde to bind together a far-flung empire. But there were also injustices: the condition of the rural and urban poor, and the evictions that drove people from the land to seek work in the cities or in the New World.

Gordon Highlanders drinking whiskey in the New Year celebrations; the caves of Staffa and their associations with the mythical Celtic hero, Fingal; the grandeur of Edinburgh Castle; the golfers of Scotscraig; and salmon fishing in the Ness Islands―this book brings the country to life for anyone who has enjoyed the rich character and landscape of this beguiling nation.

236 duotone illustrations